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NBA: Timberwolves exercise options on Towns, Jones

MINNEAPOLIS—The Minnesota Timberwolves announced Sunday the team has exercised the fourth-year options on Karl-Anthony Towns and Tyus Jones.

Towns, 21, averaged 25.1 points, 12.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game last season, starting all 82 games for the second consecutive year. The 7-0 forward/center set a franchise single-season scoring record with 2,061 points while recording 1,007 rebounds, becoming the youngest player in NBA history (15th overall and first since Tim Duncan in 2001-02) to collect 2000 points and 1000 rebounds in a season.

In 2016-17, he ranked 12th in the NBA in scoring, sixth in rebounding, 12th in field goal accuracy (54.2 percent) and 19th in blocked shots (1.26 bpg). The Wolves selected Towns with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Jones, 21, posted averages of 3.5 points and 2.6 assists in 12.9 minutes per contest in 60 games last season, his second in the NBA. The Wolves originally acquired the draft rights to the 6-2 guard from the Cleveland Cavaliers June 25, 2015.